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Monday, June 12, 2017

Painting Pets - As Good as a Dog Kiss

I’m not usually crazy about commissions, and a people portrait
painter I am not. But I love to paint pets. There’s just something about
animals that live with humans that is so lovable. The texture and color of
their fur and the distinctive varieties of their head shapes really gives me
something to hang onto in the drawing and painting of their portraits.

Troy

8"x8" oil on Raymar panel

This is Troy, he’s my son’s younger rescue dog. He’s not quite
two, and the most lovable guy you could ever meet. All he wants to do is play.
And when it’s hot out, he droops after about a mile of walking. In the winter,
the world is his snow cone.

Clara

8"x8" oil on Raymar panel

And this is Clara. She's about four, and she's the boss. Troy may tornado around and try to get her to play every minute he can, but when she says it's time to stop, he stops. She's one of the best trained dogs I've ever met, due to spending a year living with an expert trainer before my son adopted her. The two pups are quite a pair and lots of fun to have around.

There are a lot of good pet portrait painters out there, but there's one that I’d like to highlight. Paint Squared is the website of Elizabeth
Fraser. Her pet portraits totally inspire me. She really captures the
personality of her subjects, and her color, well it’s fabulous. I interviewed Elizabeth a few years ago and it was really fun to learn more abut her and how
she works.